


ARCHIVE 4327-TI

by Khio



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Apocalypse, End of the World, Gen, Non-Linear Narrative, and also powers, kid witnesses the end of the world and loses his mind (tm)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:15:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25290751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Khio/pseuds/Khio
Summary: JOURNAL ENTRY 4327-TI-01I’m uh- sorry, my name is Tommy, uh, civilian code four five eight, uh, 4587 dash 3409 dash 2142 dash 7359 dash p. I don't know what's happening. The date is um oh two oh four twenty-five forty-three. Sorry, uh, I'm not used to this kind of transcription yet, the date is 02/04/2543.I've just escaped a sub-colony of London, colony code uh, 065…I think…I’m not sure...I don't really know and, and frankly I don't want to find out...but I think everyone else is- …everyone else was left behind. The…the thing, it…it was thorough. If I'm a- uh, I'd be…oh God, I'm sorry, I'll restart the log.
Relationships: No Romantic Relationship(s), f is for friends who survive the end of the world
Comments: 158
Kudos: 358





	1. here we are when the sky lights on fire

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb/gifts), [Spaghettoi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spaghettoi/gifts), [KasunySAD](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KasunySAD/gifts), [WreakingHavok](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WreakingHavok/gifts).



> This work is inspired by a number of SCP's, namely 5000, 2951, Dr Clef's 001 proposal, and 3821. More will be added to the list as the work progresses.
> 
> For Bee, Ghet, Kat, and Hoke: I love you guys. <3
> 
> Thanks to the VT discord for putting up with me and suggesting numbers, locations, and characters. <3

**ARCHIVE 4327-TI**

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**JOURNAL ENTRY 4327-TI-01**

I’m uh- sorry, my name is Tommy, uh, civilian code four five eight, uh, 4587 dash 3409 dash 2142 dash 7359 dash p. I don’t know what’s happening. The date is um oh two oh four twenty-five forty-three, sorry, uh, I’m not used to this kind of transcription yet, the date is 02/04/2543. 

I’ve just escaped a sub-colony of London, colony code uh, 065…I think…I’m not sure — I don’t really know and, and frankly I don’t want to find out — but I think everyone else is- …everyone else was left behind. The…the _thing_ , it…it was thorough. If I’m a- uh, I’d be…oh God, I’m sorry, I’ll restart the log.

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**JOURNAL ENTRY 4327-TI-02**

My name is Tommy. Civilian code 4587-3409-2142-7359-P. The date is 02/04/2543. 

I’m currently on my way to sub-colony 024. Most likely they’d want to investigate the…incident, so here’s the record of it, I guess. The thought transcription was hard to get used to at first, but I think I got the hang of it.

Things started around…things started at about 12? Maybe 1 pm, I’m not too sure about it. An emergency cast in the colony hub notified us that a fire started at the edge of the colony, first burning some of the outer dwellings. No big deal, those happen a lot. They sent the hydrokinetic to take care of it, as per normal procedure, but…she never came back. The people living in those outer dwellings never evacuated inward, either. Okay, it’s fine, so they sent a team to investigate…but they never returned either. Then the fire spread, and it reached the hub in the matter of seconds.

Jesus, I…I can still smell the smoke. I can’t get that awful ashy taste off my tongue. It was blue fire, even _I_ could feel how hot it was. People were trampling on each other scrambling to get out of the hub, and…God, the screaming. I was fine, I mean, I’m the sub-colony’s pyrokinetic and I was trying to help others get out, but then _it_ came in from the fire. 

It’s, uh, I don’t think it’s human at all. I don’t think it’s a powered, either. I don’t know if it was even an animal, I think, uh, it looked like a fox but it was the size of a bear — heh, not sure about the rest of London but we don’t get those in these areas, sorry, sorry, back to the log — a giant fox walked out of the fire and it- it…uh, well. If I’m not immune to the fire I don’t think I’d be here right now. No doubt about it - like I said, the thing was thorough.

I don’t know, I was shit-scared frozen the whole time, just…watching the fire go down. When I finally snapped out of it and tried to run, the fox stopped and turned to me and it- …it had pure static for a face — blank, buzzing TV static just…just staring at me. It didn’t follow me when I turned tail and ran, though. So. Thank God.

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**JOURNAL ENTRY 4327-TI-03**

My name is Tommy. Civilian code 4587-3409-2142-7359-P. The date is 03/04/2543.

So. I finally made it to sub-colony 024 after hours and hours of just trudging through the goddamn wastes. Heard a lot of explosions in the distance from sub-colony 065’s direction, I don’t know what to think of those — thank God I didn’t run into anyone, though. 

Never been happier to see bottled water in my life. I didn't pack any proper supplies on my rush out of 065 — aside from this Archive — so that’s what I’m doing now. It’s been a while since I used my fire so I didn’t need a lot of sustenance, but my mind still thinks I should be drinking. Human nature, I think.

…Sub-colony 024 is completely empty. It’s so quiet in here. There’s no one here but me. The buildings are still up, at least, so maybe they’re alright, just evacuated to another sub-colony. I hope so, at least. 

I’ll try to get more info once I rest up a little bit, uh, maybe try and find a way to get an inter-colony communication line going. I might even connect to mainland London if I’m lucky. Need to find out what’s going on with the sub-colonies.

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**JOURNAL ENTRY 4327-TI-04**

Holy shit.

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**FILE 4327-TI-01**

**Context:** This message was the first thing that appeared on the screen when the system connected. As far as I know, it was sent to every sub-colony and mainland. I’m…I think I’m going to go to sleep now.

[ ** _The following is a message to all citizens of the Earth._ **

For those who have survived the initial onslaught, we would like to offer our sincerest condolences. We are the powers who have broken free of our humane prisons. We are no longer chained to the shackles that bound our kind for hundreds of years. Our creator himself cannot contain us. Our previous mission was centred around freeing others like us. This mission has been our focus for decades.

Due to circumstances outside of your control, this directive has now changed. Our new mission will be the eradication of the human race.

We wish you the best of luck. There will be no further communication.]

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**COMPOSED FILE 4327-TI-01**

Immediately following the worldwide announcement, the powered began their ( _our?_ ) assault on mankind.

The response by the humans was as quick as it could have been, given some…recent events. The…attack, I guess I could call it. The damage is already done, though, and even now, it’s still going. It’s hard to tell what’s going on exactly, but I’m gathering what intel I can from sub-colony 024’s system. I’ll try to get everything down so that…I don’t know, once this is over, if anyone’s still going to be alive, they’ll remember what happened to us. 

Dumb thought. Sorry.

**Location**

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**Event**  
  
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Sub-colony 065 of London, England

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Sub-colony burned down in blue fire. One survivor. That’s me, I’m the survivor. Still can’t wash off the smoky smell.  
  
Sub-colony 024 of London, England

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No citizens to be found. No damage to the buildings or surrounding land, either. I hope to whatever God is listening that they’re fine, just evacuated. Please.  
  
Sub-colony 098 of Mumbai, India

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For about two hours, a ball of pulsing light materialised right above the sub-colony. All citizens who looked at it with naked eyes were immediately blinded and scorched. Ball disappeared without a trace.  
  
Sub-colony 021 of Los Angeles, California

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Sub-colony engulfed in a thick, gelatinous substance that trapped and suffocated anyone caught in it. No contact has been established from site. All the info I’ve got was taken from remote locations. God.  
  
Sub-colony 042 of Berlin, Germany

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Time-space warped to a complete stop. Anyone who enters is free from this fluctuation, so maybe the citizens are just…frozen in time. Maybe they can see the world move on without them.  
  
I don’t think I’ve seen any powered…well, powerful enough to destroy entire sub-colonies. Hell, I can barely hold a fist fire for more than a few minutes at a time and I’m already ‘showing potential’. 

I don’t understand why this is happening.

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**FILE 4327-TI-02**

**Context:** A broadcast I managed to catch and download into my Archive. 

[ **Begin log.**

( _Powered civilian Niall Comas is talking to a camera from inside an evacuation tent. Flag markings on the tent reveal that he is residing in the United Kingdom. Behind him, patients can be seen being treated by human doctors and powered healers. Niall himself has several shallow cuts on his face and arms, as well as dried blood on his clothes. )_

**Niall Comas:** _-_ repeating what has been previously said in response to the rogue powered, residents that have not already been evacuated to the nearest sheltered sub-colony are heavily advised to escape to the wastes and stay in whatever ruins are safe and available. Keep inter-colony communication systems on in case of-

( _An animalistic scream interrupts Niall and he winces. Behind him, a group of armed humans and powered stand up with urgency._ )

**Civilian:** We’ve got a live one! 

( _Niall Comas rushes out of the evacuation tent into an open field in the wastes where similar tents have been pitched up._ )

**Niall Comas:** Uh, humans are heavily advised to stay in small groups with at least one powered. Keep moving, don’t stay in one location for more than three consecutive days. And to any powered civilians left, stay away from the rogues, they’ll take your spark, don’t- don’t let them-

( _A loud hissing can be heard from the tent, followed by a series of multicoloured flashing lights and a roar. Silence, then the normal bustling of the evacuation tent resumes. Two people come out of the tent carrying a covered stretcher. )_

**Niall Comas:** Anyway, any civilians still in, um, unsheltered sub-colonies around sub-colony 041 of Birmingham are advised to keep a watchful eye out for any injured party members. If anyone begins to show an um, sorry, yes, an unnatural aggression and preference to flesh-based foods, they are to be quarantined immediately. Lock them up, and euthanise them as soon as they-

( _Feed cuts out into static. This is where television shut down everywhere, I think. The inter-colony web, too. World gone blind just like that._ )

**End log.** ]

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**JOURNAL ENTRY 4327-TI-05**

Name’s Tommy. Civilian code 4587-3409-2142-7359-P. The date is 07/04/2543.

It’s weird. This sub-colony is completely empty, but all its resources are still stocked. No one’s come to execute me, and I can’t seem to find any bodies, either. With the supplies still abundant here, I can just...hunker down and survive for years and years unbothered. But just, the- the thought of spending so long alone, disconnected from the world, living in this silent colony...I don’t think I can handle it. I have to go, I need to find out what’s happening out there.

I need to...shit, hang on.

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**JOURNAL ENTRY 4327-TI-06**

Tommy. 4587-3409-2142-7359-P. Date is 08/04/2543.

Sorry for the abrupt end in the last entry. I had to get out of sub-colony 024. There was...something...well, something materialised out of thin air outside the house I was staying in. 

It was one of those rogue powered, I think, but it didn’t attack me for some reason. Just...stared at me. It’s humanoid, this time, but it was standing at an easy 3 metres and was wearing a plague doctor’s mask. I...well, okay, it didn’t look threatening at first glance, until I went to have a better look at it and I saw that it was carrying a scythe twice as big as it was.

Needless to say, I booked it the hell out of there. At least I know what happened to 024’s civilians.

I’m about an hour away from sub-colony 024, but I have no idea where I am exactly. As soon as the rogue materialised, I grabbed as many supplies as I could fit into a bag, picked a direction, and just ran. No time to think, no time to choose a destination, nothing. Well...in hindsight, I should’ve at least brought a map or something.

All that’s left is forward, I guess. Destination: sub-colony 095. The closest sub-colony to 024, and I should be able to get help — or at least answers — there. Don’t know yet whether I want to run into another living soul on the road. 

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**FILE 4327-TI-03**

**Context:** Encountered a system drive and hooked it up to the Archive. There was one file inside, and...I have no idea what to think of it. 

[( _Note: Following the rogue powered’s announcement on April 2nd, 2543, a rescue team was sent into sub-colony 048 of London to investigate an emergency call by the civilians that survived the initial wave of the rogue powered attack. The four-man team was to enter sub-colony 048 and evacuate any and all survivors they encounter._ )

**Begin log.**

**RT-1:** Mic check?

**RT-4:** On.

**RT-2:** Test. Working.

**RT-3:** On, too.

**RT-1:** Alright. Let’s head in. ( _RT-1 pauses here._ ) Careful. Keep an eye out.

**RT-3:** We got the drill, thanks. Be careful, keep an eye out, stick together, etcetera, etcetera. ( _RT-3 laughs dryly_.) Sure. I die, your paperwork to fill out, and vice versa. Got it.

**RT-2:** Fuck’s sake, Alex. Not the time.

**RT-3:** Whatever.

( _Rescue team heads into sub-colony 048 quietly. Body cameras show a dark fog shrouding the sub-colony, making it hard to see more than a few centimetres ahead._ )

**RT-1:** Let’s get some light.

**RT-4:** Alright. ( _Pause._ ) My flashlight isn’t working.

**RT-1:** Shit, what? Thought we packed those full with batteries.

**RT-2:** ...Apparently not, my battery compartment’s empty.

**RT-3:** Mine too, the fuck?

**RT-1:** Shit, shit, okay, alright, no flashlights, that’s fine, Bee, can you get some fire going?

( _RT-2 holds out a hand and a fire flickers on their palm._ )

**RT-3:** So we’re just going to ignore the fact that fire doesn’t work either?

**RT-1:** Wait, okay. We just gotta stick together, how’s that?

( _The members make noises of agreement. The rescue team continues through the sub-colony in a close group. After fifteen minutes, RT-1 stops._ )

**RT-2:** What’s wrong?

**RT-1:** This...this should be the hub, I think. Did you start the clock?

**RT-4:** As soon as we passed the gates, yeah.

**RT-1:** Alright, let me know every ten minutes. There should be some signs of recent evacuation. Or...remains, at least. The call came in just twelve hours ago.

**RT-2:** ...Let’s just keep looking, yeah?

( _Rescue team searches sub-colony 048’s hub. I’ll skip over their filler dialogue, sorry._ )

**RT-4:** Ten minutes.

**RT-3:** Really.

**RT-4:** What?

**RT-3:** Feels like it’s been longer than that.

**RT-4:** I don’t know, man, I’m just saying what’s on the clock. ( _Pauses._ ) It’s working fine — battery’s all juiced up.

**RT-3:** Okay...alright, must’ve imagined it. Man, it’s weirdly hard to breathe in this fog, isn’t it?

**RT-2:** ...Yeah. Can’t seem to draw in enough oxygen.

( _Another while passes with no significant dialogue._ )

**RT-1:** Time?

**RT-4:**...17 minutes.

**RT-3:** Okay, now that definitely isn’t right. ( _Pause._ ) Wait, you guys hear that?

**RT-5:** What?

**RT-3:** I thought I heard footsteps. Sorry.

**RT-2:** No...oh, we’re not fuckin’ alone. I don’t think we’re alone, feels like I’m being watched.

**RT-1:** Alright- wait, where are you guys? Let’s try and regroup.

( _The fog thickens._ )

**RT-1:** Time.

**RT-4:** Uh...17 minutes.

**RT-5:** Okay, now that definitely isn’t right.

**RT-2:** Yeah, uh, I don’t think we’re going to be finding anyone here. We should, we should get out of here. 

**RT-4:** Seconded.

**RT-6:** Seconded.

**RT-1:** Okay, okay, yeah, let’s...let’s just go. I don’t think we’re safe here, yeah.

**RT-2:** How much further to the gates?

**RT-5:** No, I thought I heard footsteps. Around us.

**RT-3:** No, okay, boys, move your asses, I feel funny.

**RT-2:** Alex, if you’re going to throw up, now isn’t the time-

**RT-3:** Shut up, Bee.

**RT-7:** Time?

**RT-4:** Shit, 17 minutes.

**RT-3:** Fuck. Can’t breathe. Can’t breathe.

**RT-5:** Shit, shit, lights, lights?

**RT-4:** Fire, Bee, get your fire.

**RT-6:** Footsteps, sorry.

**RT-1:** Can you all calm down for five goddamn seconds?

**RT-7:** Calm down, calm down, calm down-

**RT-3:** Can’t breathe. It’s so thick.

**RT-2:** Here!

( _RT-2 starts a fist fire, revealing seven people, all in rescue gear._ )

**RT-1:** ...There were four of us.

**RT-7:** There were four of us.

**RT-5:** There were four of us. 

**RT-6:** There were four of us. Now there are three.

**RT-4:** Bee, light them the FUCK UP-

**End log.** ]

**Closing notes:** I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know.

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**FILE 4327-TI-04**

**Context:** A weird transmission I caught from an old radio laying on the ground. 

[ **Begin log.**

( _Audio only. A male voice, accented._ )

**Voice:** Four. Three. Can you hear me? Seven. There’s a light shining from between your fingers. Four. I don’t think I’ve been to Austria, no, but I’d love to go someday. Two. Seven. I want to be loved, that’s all I ever asked for. Two. I am standing behind you now. Seven. I am two of us, standing behind everything. Three.

( _Old world music plays, interrupting the message._ )

**Voice:** Can’t stand this goddamned city anymore, have you been to the ocean? Seven. Two. There’s a light shining from between your floorboards, it’s always been this way. Three. Four. Look, you’re hatching, _you’re hatching!_

( _Message continues on loop._ )

**End log.** ]

**Closing notes:** Don’t know why I even transcribed the stupid transmission. Turned over the radio and it stopped. The radio is broken; am I going crazy?

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**JOURNAL ENTRY 4327-TI-07**

Tommy. 4587-3409-2142-7359-P. 27/04/2543.

When I said that sub-colony 095 is close, I didn’t really think about vehicles and terrain. I’ve been there a couple times, and it’d take about...three hours of driving through the wasted highway? And my supplies are dwindling, too — I can only hope that it’s not completely destroyed by the rogues.. 

I still don’t know whether to be thankful that I haven’t run into anyone else yet. That might change when I get to 095, so...I should stay alert, right? Yeah. Yeah, okay, yeah. Sorry. 

Marching through the goddamn wastes gets to you after a while, I think. Nothing to entertain you but your own stupid footsteps and the humming of this stupid Archive. 

Gives me time to think, though — well that’s something else to entertain me, my thoughts, I mean — like what the hell am I doing, hopping from sub-colony to sub-colony? What am I trying to accomplish? Why the fuck am I doing this? If I wanted to survive as long as possible, I should just stay at the next sheltered sub-colony I can find, not run in screaming and waving blindly into possible danger.

…

Answers. Yeah. Answers, I think. More than surviving, more than anything, I want answers.

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	2. here we are when the city culls itself

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to the VT server for the numbers, locations, characters, and for letting me borrow two of your names! <3

**COMPOSED FILE 4327-TI-02**

Reached sub-colony 095. Gate’s in disrepair, most of the buildings are reduced to debris, and...I’m not alone. Sorry. I’ll explain in a bit. Just...here’s the next batch of info that I’ve gathered from 095’s interweb system.

**Location**

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Sub-colony 018 of St. Petersburg, Russia

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Civilians frozen into solid gold. Later, rescue teams can still detect life signs from within the metal. Yeesh.  
  
Sub-colony 055 of Austin, Texas

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Over the course of twenty-four hours, a humanoid of pure white skin assassinated everyone over the age of 18. All attempts to retaliate only ended up in increased levels of aggression.  
  
Sub-colony 075 of Osaka, Japan

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Civilians gathered on their knees around a 3 metre-tall humanoid figure on a giant throne in the hub. They’ve all died of dehydration after being forced to stay there for days.   
  
Sub-colony 062 of Cannes, France

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A stampede of wild animals, most notably lions, trampled down the sub-colony. This one didn’t quite wipe them out, I mean the civilians had guns and stuff, so...thank God.  
  
Sub-colony 094 of Cape Town, South Africa

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Civilians attacked and strung up by threads of fabric that extend infinitely to the sky. If anyone sees this, don’t, do not, I repeat, _do not_ look up pictures of the aftermath.   
  
Seriously, don’t look up the pictures. I’ll tell you this much: they’re still alive, but...but their eyes, it was like something was missing from them. They’re just...there, upright, bound by the fabric, staring emptily into the sky. I couldn’t see them as human, looking at their eyes. Maybe they’re not even alive anymore, I don’t know, I can’t tell, I need to stop looking at it.

Sorry, sorry. I’ll move on to the journal entry.

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**JOURNAL ENTRY 4327-TI-08**

Tommy. 4587-3409-2142-7359-P. 06/05/2543.

Sub-colony 095 wasn’t empty when I entered. It’s the...the good (?) kind of company, though. I hope I haven’t gone past the point of loneliness where I lose the ability to distinguish between good and bad company. Well. This one didn’t try to kill me on sight, so I’ll give it ( _him? them?_ ) the benefit of the doubt.

Walked in the gates to see this thirty-something metre-tall humanoid figure materialising behind me. So there goes my exit route. It just...stood there...head bowed down, featureless, emitting a soft green glow. I had to crane my neck up to see its face, and even then, I couldn’t make out what it looked like. It had either two or two hundred ( _can’t tell_ ) wings and a flaming sword bigger than the buildings here, and just looking at it made me feel...like...like I was on my deathbed.

Like...it was almost calming, to see this gigantic humanoid figure looming over you holding a fucking sword and knowing that you’re about to die. I’ve come this far, and now I’m about to die, so. What can I do about it, right?

I’m not dead, though. 

...Not yet, at least. This guy showed up while I was saying my last prayers to God and pulled me into a house. Didn’t try to kill me, no, thank God for that, at least. He...well, he said neither him nor the thing outside were going to kill me. Don’t know how much I can trust him on that matter, but I’ll try. I woke up today, so I’ll take it as a good sign.

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**FILE 4327-TI-05**

**Context:** He said his name is Phil.

[ **Begin log.**

( _View is me, sitting and holding a bowl of food at a table. A man walks in through the doorway — that’s him, he said his name is Phil — and closes the door behind him. He sits opposite of me._ )

**Phil:** Hey. ( _Pause_. ) Do you know where you are?

**Tommy:** Sub-colony 095, yeah, uh...I’ve been wandering around from sub-colony to- to sub-colony. 

**Phil:** ...Where are you from, kid?

**Tommy:** 065.

**Phil:** That’s quite a long fuckin’ way, though, isn’t it? Why stop by here? Why not get to a sheltered sub-colony instead?

**Tommy:** Uh...I don’t know, I...my sub-colony went down in flames and...I was the only one who escaped. Everyone else died in the fire or- or- or they, uh, there was this giant fox with static for a face and, and it started- …I…I want answers.

**Phil:** Answers. Huh. That’s a dangerous thing to say, y'know, especially now. 

( _I start heating up the food. Phil’s eyeing my glowing fingers._ )

**Phil:** You’re a pyrokinetic? ( _Pause._ ) What’s your name, kid?

**Tommy:** Uh, it’s Tommy, civilian co- …sorry, force of habit. Been documenting everything in this, uh, this Archive. 

**Phil:** Why? Must be tiring to keep it up.

**Tommy:** No, it is, I just...I want it to- to, I don’t know? I want…I want to be remembered, I guess, I…after this is all over, after I- we all die from the rogues, I’d want whoever or whatever comes next to...to look back and remember what happened to us, if that makes sense. I just...I want to be remembered.

( _Pause. I may or may not be crying. Phil softens up here, I think, I don’t know if he understands, I don’t know, I don’t know, I hope he does._ )

**Phil:**...They’re called the entities.

**Tommy:** What?

**Phil:** Those fuckin’ things going around wiping out whole sub-colonies at a time, yeah, they’re not...they’re called the entities. They're not...powered people who went rogue, despite what everyone's saying. They’re not even sentient, they can’t _think_ for themselves. They’re just…the powers, I guess you could call it that. Concentrated, separated, and hell-bent on wiping out the human race.

**Tommy:** And that thing- sorry, that entity outside...why didn’t it try to kill you?

**Phil:** ...Because it’s mine. 

**Tommy:** You mean…that’s your entity? Your...power...?

**Phil:** Yeah. 

( _Pause. He smiles here, I don’t know why I needed to mention that. I don’t think he gets to smile a lot anymore these days._ ) 

**Phil:** I used to be able to fly, you know. I used to have these huge fuckin’ wings, until I- until he- ...until it appeared. Chased it halfway through the country until I pinned it down in this sub-colony. And now, I can’t leave — as long as I’m here, it won’t be able to find another sub-colony to- yeah. I can’t leave.

**Tommy:** So why did I- why didn't it try to kill me?

**Phil:**...I don’t know. It should’ve obliterated you when you approached the gate, but... 

**Tommy:** But it let me through.

**Phil:** But it let you through, huh.

**Tommy:** …Any idea why…?

**Phil:** You’re, you’re not split either, you can still use your powers, right?

( _I hold a hand out and a flame flickers at the tip of my finger. It’s been a while, but it’s nice to know I’ve still got it._ )

**Tommy:** The, the entities at 065 and 024 didn’t try to- they just stared at me when I ran away, didn’t try to kill me either, hell, they- they didn’t even try to pursue or kill me. I…I don’t understand, why did they let _me_ go when it didn’t- when they- when they took everyone else?

**Phil:** Okay. ( _Pause._ ) Okay. You’ve got to calm down, kid. Tom- Tommy. Just, you don’t have to think about it, okay? You don’t have to worry about it- shit, okay, uh-

**End log.** ]

**Closing notes:** Sorry it ended so abruptly. Didn’t want anyone to look back and see me break down, hah. 

* * *

**JOURNAL ENTRY 4327-TI-09**

[ _File missing._ ]

* * *

> _File corrupted. Reload?_

_— Reload._

_— Cancel._

_ > _

_ > _

_ >File unable to load. Try again? _

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_ > _

_ > _

_ >File unable to load. Run diagnostics? _

_— Run._

_— Cancel._

_ > _

_ > _

_ >File deleted by user 4327-TI. Open JOURNAL ENTRY 4327-TI-10? _

_— Open._

_— Cancel._

_ > _ _  
  
_

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> _File corrupted. Reload?_

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_ >File unable to load. Try again? _

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_ >File unable to load. Run diagnostics? _

_— Run._

_— Cancel._

_ > _

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_ >File deleted by user 4327-TI. Open JOURNAL ENTRY 4327-TI-11? _

_— Open._

_— Cancel._

_ > _

>

> _File corrupted. Reload?_

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_— Cancel._

_ > _

_ > _

_ >File unable to load. Try again? _

_— Reload._

_— Cancel._

_ > _

_ > _

_ >File unable to load. Run diagnostics? _

_— Run._

_— Cancel._

_ > _

_ > _

_ >File deleted by user 4327-TI. Open JOURNAL ENTRY 4327-TI-12? _

_— Cancel._

_— Cancel._

_ > _

_ > _

_ >System error. Reloading… _

_ > _

_ > _

_ >System error. Reloading… _

_ > _

_ > _

_ >Unable to reload. Try again? _

_— Try again._

_— Try again._

_— Try again._

_— Try again._

_— Try harder._

_ > _

_ > _

_ >Cancelled. _

_ > _

_ > _

_ >Unable to try again. _

_ > _

_ > _

_ >Unable to try harder. _

_ > _

_ > _

_ >Get out. _

_ > _

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_ >GET OUT. _

_ > _

_ > _

_ >I SAID. GET OUT. _

_ > _

_ > _

_ >GO. LEAVE. LEAVE. YOU ARE NOT WANTED. YOU ARE NOT WANTED. YOUARENOTWANTEDYOUARENOTWANTEDYOUARENOTWANTEDFOUREIGHTTWOSEVENDASHTHREEEIGHTSEVENFIVEDASHTWOOHNINEEIGHTDASHSEVENTHREEFOURFIVEHOTELINDIAMIKECHARLIEALPHALIMALIMAINDIANOVEMBERGOLFYANKEEOSCARUNIFORM- _

_ > _

_ > _

> _...Don't come. The epicentre isn't worth it._

_ > _

_ > _

_ >System security compromised. Rebooting... _

_ > _

_ > _

* * *

~~**FILE 4327-TI-H5437T8902O5783O7284S** ~~

~~**Context:** Sucks being forgotten, doesn’t it? ~~

Four. Two. Can you hear me? Seven. I remember the first time we went on a train, but that was so long ago. Two. Decades, maybe, or centuries ago, at this point I can’t tell for myself. Three. Seven. I know you, I really do. Two. I’ve known you for so long, I’ve known you three for so long, I remember it all and it hurts to know the same can’t be said about me. 

Seven. It's fine, everything’s fine, now, I think, I hope. Two. I took you to the ocean the other day and you told me you’d like to go back when the world stops moving. Three. The world's slowing down now, I think it's bound to stop soon; would you like to go back now? Four. Look, you’re alive, _you’re alive!_

~~**Closing notes:** I hope no one can hear me. ~~

* * *

_ >Systems reloading… _

_ > _

_ > _

_ >Systems loaded. Thank you for waiting. You may now continue. _

* * *

**JOURNAL ENTRY 4327-TI-09**

It’s Tommy, again. 4587-3409-2142-7359-P. 12/08/2543.

It’s been about three months since my last journal entry, I think. At least, that’s what the numbers on this Archive says. God knows what I’ve been doing during those three months. 

Well, that’s a lie, I know what happened, I know where I’ve been, and I know what I did. But I can’t remember — the time between then and now is a complete blank in my memory. I _know_ , but I can’t _remember_. The files and entries from that period have been deleted as well. I should be the only one able to do that, so...I don’t know, I don’t know anymore, I’m alive and that’s the only thing that matters right now.

I know I stayed in sub-colony 095 for a while. I know Phil didn’t try to hurt me, rather, he took care of me for however long I stayed there. I know I couldn’t leave, because the entity at the gate didn’t allow me to pass. I have scars I don’t recognise. I have a bandage wrapped around my midsection. My spark reserve’s dried up — it’ll take a while before I can cast another fire. 

Sub-colony 095 has been flattened. The buildings are gone, as if the entity had levelled them in one clean sweep of its sword. I know there was a fight. I know Phil went out to confront it, and I know it didn’t like his proposition and took off into the sky. I know the last I saw of Phil was him shovelling supplies into a pack and telling me he’s sorry he had to go.

I don’t know if I ever looked back, but I’m halfway across the country now. It’s strange — feels like I know what to do, not quite a purpose, but not quite lost, either. Just where I need to go, I guess.

There’s a box stuffed deep in my bag, a little brown package that makes a shifting sound when I shake it. I don’t know how I got it — it might have been Phil — and I don’t know what’s inside. All I know is that I need to get it to mainland London, and fast.

* * *

**JOURNAL ENTRY 4327-TI-10**

[ _File missing._ ]

* * *

> _File corrupted. Systems reloading…_

_ > _

_ > _

_ >Systems loaded. Thank you for waiting. You may now continue. _

* * *

**JOURNAL ENTRY 4327-TI-10**

4587-3409-2142-7359-P. 17/08/2543.

There goes another handful of files. I can’t remember deleting them, but...well. I hope they weren’t that important. I save every bit of info I can get my hands on, and more often than not, they’re of things that other people document. I’d like them to be remembered, too, but...but you can’t have everything, huh.

I underestimated how far away mainland London is, I think. Sub-colony 095 was a week’s worth of nonstop trekking all on its own, but mainland London is another story entirely. 

I’ve stopped trying to look out for people to avoid on the horizon. I’ve stopped sleeping with one eye open. I’ve stopped lighting fires to keep me warm, I don’t know, I just… I don’t think there’s any point to the effort I’m putting into it. 

Came across an abandoned campsite. I don’t know whether they evacuated in a hurry or if an entity swept by. I’m just...thankful I didn’t have to come across any bodies. I don’t know how I would summon the energy to, to bury them. Let them have this, at least.

...Back to the point. They’ve got some intel down in their system, I don’t know whether it’ll download well into the Archive, but...I’ll try. They deserve to be remembered.

* * *

**COMPOSED FILE 4327-TI-03**

Whatever’s in the little package is a godsend. I still don’t know what’s inside, but I’ve learnt to hold it in my arms instead of stuffing it into my bag. I don’t know why, but it gives me energy. Just...thinking about it, or holding it, I… the next thing I know, it’s been days and I’m somewhere else a little closer to mainland London, and I’m feeling a little warmer inside as if my- as if someone’s just given me a hug or something.

I...don’t know what that’s about. That was dumb. It’s just… I don’t know. I’ve been getting nostalgia for something that doesn’t exist, I think. It’s my own personal skip button when things get too much for me.

Anyway. Sorry. Back to the point. Here’s the next batch of intel. The entities haven’t stopped their barrage on humanity, huh.

  
  


**Location**

| 

**Event**  
  
---|---  
  
Sub-colony 047 of Edinburgh, Scotland

| 

Over the course of 12 minutes, a colony-wide field of electricity around 5k volts materialised and fried the citizens. Yeah, uh…no survivors.  
  
Sub-colony 059 of Kraków, Poland

| 

It’s getting worse, a barrage of meteors rained down and levelled the place. The subsequent earthquakes can be felt on the other side of the Atlantic.  
  
Sub-colony 035 of Vientiane, Laos

| 

All liquid in the sub-colony turned into a white substance chemically similar to…milk. The horrifying part here is ‘all liquid’.  
  
Sub-colony 083 of Athens, Georgia

| 

The leaders of this sub-colony were assassinated by a humanoid figure over 5 metres tall of an enhanced foresight power, throwing the sub-colony into chaos.  
  
Sub-colony 069 of Bangkok, Thailand

| 

A canine creature over three metres in height materialised in the hub and started...well. You know how a dog can track you down by scent for days? Took a while but...this sub-colony doesn’t have any survivors.  
  
* * *

**JOURNAL ENTRY 4327-TI-11**

4587-3409-2142-7359-P. 28/08/2543.

It’s nice seeing other people, I’ve decided. Even if they don’t know you’re there. Even if you’re only watching from a distance. Even if you’re only watching a city go down and you know you’re powerless to help the civilians screaming and scrambling around to get away from the-

Sorry.

I think it was sub-colony 076. I saw...thousands, no, maybe millions of these tiny green balls rain down from the sky and swarm the sub-colony. Saw a person run out the gate chased by hundreds of those things. They knocked him down, overwhelmed him, and he was screaming until they covered his mouth. 

I was...just staring at the pile, unable to move ( _coward_ ). Until it stood up, took the shape of the man, and walked calmly inside. It’s terrifying, yeah, seeing a sub-colony get destroyed by yet another entity. But it’s also… it’s a form of catharsis on its own: listening as the screaming dies down and the silence returns.

A part of me wishes I have a camera. Maybe I can take a few pictures. Download them into this Archive. Print them out, frame them, hang them on my wall. Maybe get a fucking fridge magnet and put it up there. Give it a name and sell it for millions to a pretentious art gallery. 

' _The Death of London 076, by Tommy 4-3-2-7-P_ '

Oh, oh, that’s great, that’s _so great_ , that’s rich. I’m a tourist at the end of the goddamn world. I’ve heard of- I’ve seen old world logs of people who survived through the great culling. It’s been centuries. _It’s been centuries_ , and maybe the world should’ve ended all those years ago, and maybe we were never supposed to come out the other side, and maybe this has been a long time coming-

Huh.

That just hit me, huh. 

The world’s ending, and out of everyone, _I’m_ the one watching the carnage unfold.

* * *

_> Open File 4327-TI-06? _

_— Open._

_— Cancel._

_> _

_> _

_> Loading… _

_> _

_> _

_> Please use this data responsibly._

* * *

**FILE 4327-TI-06**

**Context:** Came across a ruined house in the wastes today. Inside were two people, sitting frozen at a table. They didn’t react when I came closer. Just...stared blankly on ahead. I don’t think they were alive; the light was missing from their eyes. I...this drive was in one of their hands, I think I’d like them to be remembered.

[ **Begin log.**

( _Audio only. Two people are talking. A distant roaring sound in the distance, as if a plane is hovering over them._ )

**Person 1:** Mic check.

**Person 2:** Working. Don’t know why we’re still bothering to do this.

**Person 1:** Just...formalities, yeah? This’ll be the last time we do it, don’t worry.

**Person 2:** Maybe it’s not the formalities I’m worried about, Ash. Maybe it’s the giant rogue powered looming over us outside. Maybe it’s the fact that we’re going to die sometime in the next hour.

**Person 1:** ...Sorry.

**Person 2:** ...No, _I’m_ sorry, that was...a little too far. I’m sorry, really. It’s- it’s just...nevermind. Um. What’d you- why’d you want to start recording?

( _Shuffling. Paper crinkling._ )

**Person 1:** I...I wrote something for you the other day. You were still asleep, I think, but I didn’t want it to...go to waste? As you said, we’re- we’re about to die, so...I thought I’d do it now.

**Person 2:** Okay. Alright, let’s hear it then.

**Person 1:** Um. Okay. Here goes. Uh, it's called ' _Here we are when we die_ '-

**Person 2:** That’s a rather topical title, isn’t it? ( _Pause._ ) Sorry, sorry, please, start over.

( _T_ _he roaring outside grows louder, deeper. More guttural. I don’t think it’s a plane, after all._ )

**Person 1:** ...Here we are when the sky lights on fire. We’re about to go, yes, but we’re not going silently. There’s a fire outside, and we’ll burn together as the world turns around for the first time. I’ll remember your ashes, dear, and I’ll see you in the next life.

( _Pause. A scream outside, and more shuffling inside._ )

**Person 1:** Here we are when the city culls itself. We’re about to go, yes, but we’re not going obediently. There’s a blade pointed at our throats, and we’ll bleed out together as the world turns around for the second time. I’ll remember your body, darling, and I’ll see you in the next life.

( _A crash outside. The sound of something massive banging on the door. It’s not going to hold for much longer._ )

**Person 2:** Ash, _Ash-_!

( _A screech. Inhumane. Thumping._ )

**Person 1:** Here- here we are…when the- when the giant slaughters the people. We’re...we’re about to go, yes, but we’re not- we’re not going gently. There’s a- a shadow over ours, and we’ll fade together as the world turns around for the third time. I’ll- _I’ll_ \- _Maya-_!

**Person 2:** _ASH-_!

( _The sounds come to a deafening head and end abruptly. Complete silence. I thought the log ended here, but…after five minutes of silence, I can hear footsteps. Someone’s shuffling closer, a third person not previously in the log. A male voice starts speaking._ )

**Voice:** Huh, hi, I didn't see you guys there. ( _Pause._ ) Oh, that’s sad. A nice little dinner at the end of the world, huh? Mm, wish I knew your names. 

( _More shuffling._ )

**Voice:** Oh? An audio logger. Now let’s see...what were you people recording...?

( _Paper crinkling._ )

**Voice:** Oh! Aww...that’s a cute little poem you got there. Shame. Here, I’ll read the rest out; I’m nice like that. Let's see where you stopped...ah, here. ( _The voice clears his throat._ ) I’ll remember your face, honey, and I’ll see you in the next life. 

( _L_ _aughter. Sounds mocking._ )

**Voice:** Sorry, sorry, I’ll continue. Here we are when the world ends. We’re about to go, yes, and it seems as though we’ve lost our voice. There’s a bang, there’s a whimper, the world ends anyway, and we’ll die together as the world stops turning. I’ll die, sweetheart, but you will be remembered, and I’ll see you if we ever get another life.

( _Paper tearing._ )

**Voice:** Hmm. Tragic. I’m sorry, but that won’t happen. No one’ll be alive by the end of this to remember you. 

( _Pause_. )

**Voice:** ... _you revolt me_.

**End log.** ]

**Closing notes:** That voice...I know him, I do, I really do, _who is he_ \- ?

* * *


	3. here we are when the giant slaughters the people

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to the VT server for the numbers, characters, and power ideas! <3
> 
> Chapter dedicated to Havok and Fizz, you both will know exactly why. <3

**JOURNAL ENTRY 4327-TI-12**

Tommy. 4587-3409-2142-7359-P. 30/08/2543.

I can see the lights of mainland London on the horizon. It’s...it’s dimmer than I remember, but everything turned out to be dimmer than I remember, too. I’ve been trying to use my spark, practice whatever lessons I can remember, keep myself occupied, whatever. Logically, I should save my energy to defend myself, but...what’s the point? What’s the fucking point? The entities are far, _far_ more powerful than my best attempts at self-defense. They’ll obliterate me before I get a chance to light a fire and then…and then. 

In a weird, sort-of fucked up way, that’s a comforting thought. It’s freeing, almost, knowing that nothing you do will make a dent in the fight against the horrific things ravaging the face of the Earth. 

It’s getting harder to keep going. When the entities’ attacks were sparse — global, yes, but fewer and further in between — there was this sense of hope that maybe this was an isolated incident, that maybe humanity can turn this around. But as the numbers kept climbing and more and more entities spawned around the globe, it’s a lot easier to feel as though there’s no point to all of this.

Distress signals, calls for help, and logs of dying people all litter the interweb, too many for me to document. I think I’m going to go crazy if I listened to all of them, so I’m just going by whatever little official information I can pick out. 

Sheltered sub-colonies are falling left and right, and people are starting to flock to mainlands. The death toll is starting to look a lot like a civilian code. I still don’t know what I’ll find in mainland London or why I’m even going there, but if I think about it a little more, there’s not exactly a point, is there?

I can forever wax poetic about the apocalypse and the catharsis of knowing that everything goes at the end, or something, and yet it doesn’t change the fact that I’m so fucking tired of trudging through the wastes. And for what reason? Good question! I don’t know! Maybe I’ll drop dead the moment I pass the gates or something, at least then I’ll be able to rest properly.

...I’m really sorry. I swear I’m not usually this morbid. I used to be happier, but, well — and this is getting redundant — it’s the end of the world. All bets are off, and I think that means I get to say whatever the fuck I want to.

Every time I can’t bear it anymore and I hold the little brown package in my arms to skip, I make a little more progress, lose a little more time, feel a little bit worse. Maybe I’ve grown a little too dependent on it, maybe I need to stop, I don't know. I think I’d like to be awake when I get to mainland London, no matter what horrific things I come across the rest of the way there.

* * *

**JOURNAL ENTRY 4327-TI-13**

I might be a little too late.

* * *

**COMPOSED FILE 4327-TI-04**

Arrived to find mainland London under siege. Stood at a safe distance and waited out the attack. Here's a table about it.

  
  


**Location**

| 

**Event**  
  
---|---  
  
Mainland London

| 

A blizzard storm rolled in from the sky and started to freeze over anything it covered. Saw a cryokinetic try to hold off the storm and freeze himself in the process only to break into shards.  
  
Mainland London

| 

All the city lights went out simultaneously and a thick fog descended into the streets. I’ve seen this one before, huh?  
  
Mainland London

| 

A humanoid entity with long hair that covered it to its toe materialised in the middle of the city and started emanating a high-pitched screeching that made me, even a safe distance away, want to singe my ears off.  
  
Mainland London

| 

The ground cracked open cleanly through the city, through buildings and through streets — as if someone cut open the world with a knife — and swallowed people up before slamming shut and sealing perfectly as if nothing had happened.  
  
Mainland- yeah, you get the idea

| 

A giant entity made purely out of water — not even clear water, it looked like sewer shit — stomped in and engulfed the whole place for a few minutes before dissipating.  
  
  
  


Mainland London survived the attack- well, at least it still had people when the last entity disappeared. I’ll try to get in and...I don’t know. I’d just like to sleep on something that isn’t rock.

* * *

**JOURNAL ENTRY 4327-TI-14**

Tommy. 4587-3409-2142-7359-P. 02/09/2543.

The last time I visited mainland London, I was seven. I lit my first fire the day before that, just in time for my civilian’s registration. There aren’t a lot of powered in sub-colony 065; it’s always been me, the hydrokinetic, and the charmspeaker. 

Given, we were considered a small sub-colony, but...still, you know? Growing up, I was surrounded by a lot of H’s. “4728-H“, “9937-H“, “3800-H“, all of them H’s, all of them human. Gah. ‘It’s him, it’s the pyrokinetic! That’s him, what’s his name again? It’s Tommy, isn’t it? Four-three-two-seven-p, that’s him!’ Every day, ogled at like some animal — and now I’m the one ogling at the world crash and burn. 

But mainland London...was, _is_ , a big city ( _it’s still standing,_ _it’s still standing!_ ). Lots of people here. Lots of people, lots of humans, and more importantly, lots of powered. Lots of H’s, lots of P’s — I might still remember some codes ( _all abbreviations, of course, I’m not a goddamn maniac._ ), here they throw them around like they're nothing: “7645-P“, “8277-P“, “1131-P“.

I met Toby here, when I was seven, I don’t know if I’ve mentioned him anywhere in the Archive before. He’s from the other side of London — sub-colony 051, to be exact — and it’s only by pure coincidence that he registered the same day I did. 

...I don’t know what happened to him. We kept contact for a long time, but...well, it’s the end of the world, y’know? It’s the goddamn apocalypse, I think I get to be a little bit more concerned about the current state of humanity and how long we have left until everything is gone. 

But from what I’ve gathered, sub-colony 051 was among the first to shelter themselves, so...well. Yeah. 

I’m sorry. I’ll get a log about mainland London up.

* * *

_> Open File 4327-TI-07? _

_— Open._

_— Cancel._

_> _

_> _

_> Loading… _

_> _

_> _

_> Please use this data responsibly._

* * *

**FILE 4327-TI-07**

[ _File missing._ ]

* * *

> _File corrupted. System reloading…_

_ > _

_ > _

_ >Systems loaded. Thank you for waiting. You may now continue. _

* * *

**FILE 4327-TI-07**

**Context:** _INSERT CONTEXT._

**[Begin log.**

( _NOTE._ )

**SPEAKER:** TEXT.

( _NOTE._ )

**SPEAKER:** TEXT.

**SPEAKER:** T e XT.

**SP e AK e R:** T e XT.

( _NOT e ._ )

**SP e AK e R:** t e X t .

**SP e AK e R:** t e X t .

( _NO t e ._ )

**s P e AK e r :** t e x t .

**s P e a K e r :** t e x t .

**s p e a k e r :** t e x t .

( _n o t e ._ )

**hello?:** t e x t .

**s p e a k e r :** hell...o…? 

( _n o t e ._ )

**s p e a k e r :** t e x t .

**i know:** t e x t .

**s p e a k e r :** what i said

**but:** t e x t .

**s p e a k e r :** t e x t .

**s p e a k e r :** i 

( _don’t mean it._ )

**s p e a k e r :** t e x t .

**s p e a k e r :** t e x t .

**not:** anymore.

( _at least._ )

**s p e a k e r :** t e x t .

( _n o t e ._ )

**P:** …

**4327-H:** ...Yeah...it’s me. 

**P:** …? 

**4327-H:** I..yes, it’s all true, no, I- I’m really sorry, I didn’t think it would come to this.

**P:** …?

**4327-H:** Yes! Yes, of course, of course I do, God, _yes: I’d do anything_ , but I don’t think there exists anything powerful enough to turn it all back.

**P:** …?

**4327-H:** ...I don’t know. Maybe. Maybe not. I’m afraid, see, I might fuck it all up even more.

**P:** …!

**4327-H:** ...I’m sorry, I’m so, _so_ sorry, I can’t, _I can’t_ , not anymore.

**P:** …

**4327-H:** I’m really, really sorry; I can’t do anything to help you. Can’t do anything to help anyone, either.

**P:** …

**4327-H:** I...oh. Oh. I’m...thank you. _Thank you_.

**P:** …

**4327-H:** Yeah...yeah- so that’s how it is.

( _It’s how it always was._ )

**End log.]**

**Closing notes:** INSERT CLOSING NOTES.

* * *

**JOURNAL ENTRY 4327-TI-15**

[ _File missing._ ]

* * *

> _File corrupted. System reloading…_

_ > _

_ > _

_ >Systems loaded. Thank you for waiting. You may now continue. _

* * *

**JOURNAL ENTRY 4327-TI-15**

Tommy. 4587-3409-2142-7359-P. 01/10/2543.

[ _File missing._ ]

He’s been...he’s nice, I think. Yeah. No, yeah, he’s a really nice guy, let me sleep on a bed and cry on his fur coat and everything. Reminds me of Phil from sub-colony 095, though I can’t tell you why. Not that I don’t want to, just...I don’t know! I don’t know a lot of things, and this is one of them. Call it a gut-feeling, maybe, but I don’t think he’ll try to kill me either.

[ _File missing._ ]

I don’t know anymore. I should probably stop saying that, huh.

[ _File missing._ ]

Yeah. I’ll be fine. Yeah, no, I think I’m going to be fine. I don’t think I’ve been sleeping well lately, though, I’ve been waking up feeling like I ran a marathon in my sleep. I’ll talk to Techno about it, maybe. Want to stay in my best shape for the final wave when the biggest, nastiest entities come rolling in.

[ _File missing._ ]

I’ll try keeping more logs of mainland London, I think. He agreed to take me down to mainland London’s defenses today so...I’ll start one right now, actually. Yeah. Just...one more thing about Techno: 

[ _File missing._ ]

He looked at me weird when I asked. I think I’ll shut up about it.

* * *

_> Open File 4327-TI-08? _

_— Open._

_— Cancel._

_> _

_> _

_> Loading… _

_> _

_> _

_> Please use this data responsibly._

* * *

**FILE 4327-TI-08**

[ _File missing._ ]

* * *

> _File corrupted. System reloading…_

_ > _

_ > _

_ >Systems loaded. Thank you for waiting. You may now continue. _

  
  


* * *

**FILE 4327-TI-08**

**Context:** Techno took me down to mainland London’s defenses to have a look around. Some nice chats I had with a couple people and some things I noticed and wanted to put in here.

[ **Log 1.**

( _View is me and Techno walking down the corridor of a busy building. He’s talking, explaining how their system works and all. The man works here — hell, he runs this place — of course he’d know the place like the back of his hand._ )

[ _File missing._ ]

**End log.** ]

[ **Log 2.**

[ _File missing._ ]

( _Turns out I was wrong, huh. They still exist, and they’re...well, they’re everywhere. Nothing anyone can do about it, least of all me. It’s okay- well, more than okay, I guess, I think this means we have hope? Unsure._ )

**End log.** ]

[ **Log 3.**

[ _F_ _ile missing._ ]

**Tommy:** No, no, I had to walk a long way, actually. Couple...couple months, I think; can’t remember off the top of my head. I, yeah. ( _Pause. I shake my head._ ) Yeah, uh...I saw a lot of things out there, I documented all of it into this Archive here.

( _Pause. The conversation isn’t going as smoothly as I’d like it to be, but...I don’t know? Something about him irks me. He feels...off, somehow. He starts reaching for the Archive._ )

**Tommy:** Uh, yeah, um. Please don’t, I need that, it’s important to me. Hey, no- please-

( _He stops. At least he knows what happens when you unhook an Archive without the user first disconnecting it. Techno pulls him away from me and gives him a dirty look._ )

**Techno:** Alright. Tommy, let’s go, we’re done here. 

**End log.** ]

[ **Log 4.**

[ _File missing._ ]

Technically, I’m not supposed to know or see any of these. There’s supposed to be a system, here, there’s supposed to be a proper order and a proper way of going about things. But it’s all thrown away ever since the first attack, the first entity. I guess order can’t really last during these times, huh?

Techno told me he used to be a good fighter — one of the best, he said, but it’s all gone now — which was why mainland London turned to him to run their defenses. And he’s damn good at it too, if the state of mainland London is a testament to his skills. 

Well. He makes do with what left he has. We all have to.

[ _File missing._ ]

**End log.** ]

[ **Log 5.**

( _You’re not going to be alone._ )

**End log.** ]

* * *

_> Open File 4327-TI-09? _

_— Open._

_— Cancel._

_> _

_> _

_> Loading… _

_> _

_> _

_> Please use this data responsibly._

* * *

**FILE 4327-TI-09**

**Context** : I don’t know. I don’t remember making this. Techno gave me the file without saying anything and, God, I don’t know what to think of it, either.

[ **Begin log.**

( _View is Techno, looking at the camera with scrunched up eyebrows. He’s worried, that much I can tell. It’s dark outside — maybe around 3 AM if I had to guess? — and I can hear a faint mumbling sound in the background._ )

**Techno:** Okay, okay, begin log...mic check- alright, audio on, shit-

( _Techno turns the camera to...me, sitting at a table with my head in my hands. The faint mumbling is mine. I, honest to God, I can’t tell you what I was doing — I don’t even remember getting up last night. I don’t know why I was there, I don’t know what I was doing, I don’t know what I was mumbling, what the fuck._ )

**Techno:** Fuck, okay- Tommy, if you’re goin’ to wake up, I want you to know I’ve been tryin’ to snap you out of it for the past hour. I thought it’d be useful to record this so maybe you can...I don’t know? Just...so you can see this, since I’m guessin’ that this ain’t a normal thing for you.

( _The camera moves and sets on the table, focusing on me. Months of being out in the wastes doesn’t really scrub out of me easily, it seems; I still look like one of those walking bodies I came across in sub-colony 017._ )

**Techno:** Alright, uh...I’ll try again. ( _Pause. Techno clears his throat._ ) Hey. Tommy. Uh. You...you got somethin’ to say there? I’m- I’m recordin’ this, so if you...uh, I know you’re documenting everythin’ in your Archive, so...if you’ve got somethin’ to say, I’ll hand you the file later. 

( _Another pause. I think what Techno said came through to me, since I’ve stopped mumbling. After about a minute or so of silence, I raise my head and look dead into the camera._ )

**Tommy?:** ...Oh.

( _I...I don’t look like myself there. It’s been a while since I looked into a mirror, yeah, but...I don’t know! It just feels so...off...I guess, like I can’t recognise that face as mine but at the same time, the facts are all laid out on the goddamn table: it’s me._ )

**Tommy:** You found me. 

**Techno:**...Tommy?

( _I don’t think I was talking to Techno._ )

**Tommy:** ...Why?

**Techno:** Tommy, you okay...?

**Tommy:** You’re too late. Not much of the world remains. You’ll see: once the next wave comes, you’ll see that there’s nothing anyone can do. This place was never worth saving, anyway.

**Techno:** ...The next wave. ‘Course there’s another. 

( _It’s never going to stop, is it? Not until mainland London is flattened and all its people are dead._ )

**Tommy:** Are you still willing to try? ( _Pause_. ) Then remember this: you won’t be alone. Whether that’s a good thing or not is completely up to you. 

**Techno:** ...Holy shit. _Holy shit_ . _You_ -

( _I turn my head to look at Techno. I look...terrifying, to say the least. Angry. Desperate. I still don’t remember any of this._ )

**Techno:** _You-!_

**Tommy:**...Oh. Techno 5737-P. 5883-7777-3334-7642-P. We...I…

( _My body jerks weirdly, as if I was fighting with myself. The sound of a chair scraping against the floor._ )

**Tommy:**...Four…

**Techno:** What?

**Tommy:** ...Seven…Can you hear me…?...Two...I tried to look for you the other day, but you were hiding beneath the floorboards…

**Techno:** Oh my God. 

**Tommy:** Three...I tried to reach for you, but you were off chasing the neverending line. Four. Two. I tried to talk to you, but you wanted more, and more, and _more_ , _and more_ \- ( _Pause._ ) Three. I tried to call you, but you wouldn’t come. 

( _I stop talking here. After a minute or so of nothing, I hear Techno stand up and walk out of the room. He comes back after a while carrying my pack._ )

**Techno:** If I give it to you, will you stop deletin’ the kid’s entries? 

( _Pause. More staring._ )

**Techno:** Just...please. I know you can’t...really...have it, but...the Archive means a lot to him. He wants them all to be remembered.

**Tommy:** ...No one deserves to be.

( _Techno takes out the little brown package and slides it over to me. I unhook the Archive and give it to him_. _So that’s why he had it when I woke up today — nearly had a panic attack when I realised I didn’t have it on me. I take the little brown package and shake it._ )

**Tommy:**...Oh.

( _I set the thing on the table and start staring at it._ )

**Tommy:** Seven. It’s okay, it’s okay, I promise you it’s going to be okay. Two. Nothing lasts forever, I wouldn’t expect otherwise anyway. Three. You can go ahead, I’ll be here when you come back. Four. Look, you’re growing, _you’re growing!_

( _Silence. I look up at Techno. I don’t think...I...I think I looked sad, if anything._ )

**Techno:** You’re not really here, are you?

( _Pause. I shake my head hesitantly._ )

**Techno:** Okay. Yeah. Okay. You're not really...there, either, are you? 

( _Another head shake._ )

**Tommy:** ...I miss home.

**Techno:** Yeah. Yeah, me too. I...I miss you, and I'm sure I- no, I _know_ we all do. But you can't, you can't keep doin' this, yeah? The kid needs to live, too.

( _Pause. I look down._ )

**Techno:** C'mon, let's...let's go, yeah? I'll see you in the next life.

**End log.** ]

**Closing notes** : I couldn’t tell you what that was all about if I tried. Again, I can’t remember any of this, and Techno refused to explain, either. So...take that how you will.

* * *

**JOURNAL ENTRY 4327-TI-16**

Tommy. 4327-P. 12/11/2543

The ‘next wave’ came yesterday. Mainland London did its best, and pulled through the fight mostly in one piece. A few casualties, a lot of injuries, and a bunch of horrifying experiences.

It started when a powered keeled over in the Hub and started having a seizure. I was there, I saw the whole thing go down. I saw him fall over and clutch his midsection, I saw people back away like he had the plague, I saw the entity ripping itself away from him and leaping up into the crowd.

I caught a glimpse of it. A giant fox, almost ethereal, its paws were white, and anything it touched turned to ice. Including people. _Especially_ people. Tried to fight it off. Couldn’t. I’m not powerful enough to fend off a being of saturated energy, yeah? At least I bought enough time for Techno’s guys to come in and fight it off properly.

The powered guy’s fine. Shaken, powerless, and devastated over the loss of his cryokinesis...but fine. Not really sure what he’s doing here; the guy’s all the way from sub-colony 017 of Amsterdam. But I guess I can’t really ask any questions, can I? 

The ground started shaking afterwards, and we all heard this loud _crack_. Then...the world started spinning.

...Okay, the world’s always been spinning, but what I’m trying to say here is that mainland London broke off from the rest of the world and started spinning. 

It started slow. What doesn’t? No one even realised at first; everyone thought it was just a normal bout of disorientation, but...it got faster. And faster. And faster. _And faster_. Until people were sent flying, buildings were toppling over, and pieces of debris were breaking off and hitting people left and right. Last thing I saw was this entity looming over the gates, staring at me with the brightest, most intense pair of blue eyes.

I guess I can make a joke out of this. I’m still alive, so I think that gives me a bit of humor leeway. Now I can tell people I survived a grand scale centrifuge. Imagine that! A city spinning at violent speeds and people getting flung around like ragdolls. I’d find it hilarious if I wasn’t standing in the middle of the aftermath.

From what I’ve gathered, more entities came and tried to wipe out mainland London, but it survived. Barely survived, yeah, but it’s still standing. Or, well, a lot of people are still alive — can’t say the same about the buildings. 

I’ll try to help out with the relief effort. See what I can do to stave off the inevitable for these people.

* * *

**JOURNAL ENTRY 4327-TI-17**

Tommy. 4327-P. 15/11/2543

They’re leaving. 

They’re packing their things up and going out to live somewhere in the wastes. Trying to keep moving so they’re not a group of sitting ducks concentrated in one location for the entities to attack over and over again until their defenses finally dwindle down to nothing. I guess that’s a good plan; there’s not a lot of mainland London left, anyway, no point in staying here. 

Techno said something about recognising the entities. He seemed pretty shaken when he said it, so I’m not going to question him. Man’s been through enough, I think. Said that the next wave will be the last and most devastating one, so they have to move and _fast_.

In hindsight, I should’ve taken his offer. Not quite an offer, more an order, or a plea, for me to join the survivors and leave the city. 

That would’ve been the smart move for me, obviously, but I have not made a single smart move ever since this shitshow started. That’s me! That’s what they used to call me: _dumb kid Tommy who goes where his feet take him and deals with the consequences later_. That’s a lie. No one called me that. They'd usually stop at ‘ _dumb kid Tommy_ ’.

But that same drive that kept me going from sub-colony to sub-colony and finally mainland London...it’s making me stay. Yeah, I go where my feet take me, and now they’re staying rooted on the spot and I can’t really do anything about that, can I? 

I guess I really should’ve seen this coming, huh. I’m going to die when the next wave hits. I’m going to stay here, and I’m going to die, and it’ll be years — decades, centuries, hell, _even millennia_ — before someone finds this Archive and remembers me. 

And...it’s okay. 

Yeah. It’s okay. I’ve come to terms with it a long time ago, I think, and I’m just repeating things now. Forget being a tourist, I’m a ghost.

* * *

**JOURNAL ENTRY 4327-TI-18**

Tommy 4327-P. 1/12/2543

I miss home. 

Can’t believe it’s taken me this long to say it and really, really mean it, but...I miss home. I’d like to think that I get to see everyone I’ve ever known in the afterlife. Just want a chance to tell them ‘ _hello_ ’ again. Maybe I’ll tell them about my adventures at the end of the world. Maybe they’ll tell me I’m a dumbass — but it’s not like I don’t know that myself.

…

They’re coming, now. 

I can see the final wave just a little over the horizon. An army of entities of various shapes and sizes, all marching on to flatten what’s left of mainland London. The citizens should be far away now, so...at least...yeah. Yeah, at least they’ve got that going for them.

It’ll take a few hours for the entities to get here, and less than a minute for them to find me and wipe me out. 

I’m going to lay on a bed, now, I think. Try to sleep. 

I guess this is goodbye, huh? 

Man, I wish I thought up some proper last words.

…

Well. Sorry. Just...yeah, remember me, yeah?

* * *

**JOURNAL ENTRY 4327-TI-19**

They’re here.

Fuck.

_They’re here_ , and I’m not dead. I’m staring up at a boar-headed abomination of an entity, and I’m alive. I tried lighting it on fire. Nothing happened, of course, I can’t really fight them. But _nothing happened_ , either — it didn’t immediately stomp me against the concrete.

They’re all just...not doing anything. Slowly filling the city, and moving past me as if I didn’t exist.

...Huh. I guess it’s not the end, yeah?

* * *


	4. here we are when the world ends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *rises from the fucking ashes rattling a tin can* 
> 
> Hello all it's been like 2 months, how are y'all doing, haha, this story exists apparently and I'm finishing it if it's the last thing I'll ever do,
> 
> Thanks to Havok for telling me to shut up and finish the chapter, I love u sm man <3
> 
> I'm posting this at a really weird time for me but, anyway, enjoy! Love u all <3

**JOURNAL ENTRY 4327-TI-20**

Tommy. 4327-P. 10/12/2543.

The _Sun_ shattered today.

Never thought I’d live to see the day that the universe finally breaks, huh. I was there to see the whole thing go down, too. Was sitting on top of a building watching the horizon when it happened — one second, the Sun was there, and the next, it split down the middle and splintered into little pieces as if it was made of glass.

I just…sat there. At a complete loss for words. Staring at the pieces falling away and burning up in the sky. I didn’t do anything, either, or rather, I _couldn’t_ do anything. There’s not much anyone can do about the Sun exploding, right?

The entities milling about in mainland London stopped moving about aimlessly and turned their complete attention to the sky in perfect sync. As if they were sharing a singular mind. But then again, after everything I’ve seen, this theory wouldn’t be too out-there, would it?

I’ve been watching them stand frozen for a few hours now. And against every survival instinct and every shred of common sense I have left, I came up to one of them. A giant snake-like creature with blank white eyes that I’m sure can crush me in a single blink. I risked touching it — no reaction. Punched it, nothing, I burnt a part of its body, still nothing.

Not that I expected anything at all, being a ghost at the end of the world and all that, but, huh. Nothing. Still nothing.

* * *

**JOURNAL ENTRY 4327-TI-21**

Tommy. 4327-P. 10/12/2543.

The Sun _shattered_ today.

I…sorry. Right. Okay. A wave of cold air descended from above and never really left. The sky’s growing dark, too. I’m…trying to get used to both, but I’m primarily depending on the fire I can make to give me warmth and light.

You know, I didn’t think much of it at first. I guess the shock’s finally worn off, because the weight of the situation just hit me properly. I thought I could finally wake up without fearing for my life, without forgetting that these entities are just going to ignore me forever, that I’m not going to die abruptly. But then the Sun fucking exploded, and…oh boy, whatever destroyed it is a cosmically and comically larger threat than I can really imagine. Can you believe that? I can’t, and I saw it happen.

I’m still sat here waiting for the other shoe to drop, I think, but it’s starting to feel like gravity isn’t working the same way as before, like I’m moving through molasses but my brain can’t catch up with how fast the world’s moving. Can’t shake off the feeling that I’m being suspended mid-air and unable to breathe the same air I’ve always been breathing. Either taking forever to fall or being forever stuck in the same place.

Can’t shake off the feeling that I’m being watched, either.

* * *

**JOURNAL ENTRY 4327-TI-22**

Tommy. 4327-P.

…10/12/2543…

The Sun shattered _today_.

10/12/2543.

Ten. Twelve. Twenty-five, forty-three.

Today. It says the same _fucking_ date on the Archive.

Fuck, okay, I’m not…I’m not sure what to do here. Or if I’m able to do anything at all. That’s been a question at the back of my head for a long time now.

I can’t fucking tell if it’s been days — _weeks_ , even — and the Archive broke down when I wasn’t looking or paying attention. If this means that everything I’ve been doing — every file and entry and log and- and, if. I. If it’s all gone and I’ve been doing all this for nothing.

But at the same time, I can’t tell if it’s been less than a day since the Sun shattered and I’m the one being suspended in time, feeling like days have gone by when in reality, barely any time has passed. If this means that, that I’ve, I’ve finally done it! I’ve finally, completely, truly lost my _fucking_ mind, and that there’s no going back beyond this goddamn point because I’ve snapped! I’ve gone insane! Is that it? _Is that it?_

…

It’s hard to tell when the sky’s gone all dark. No Sun, no moon, no clouds. No stars anywhere, either. If this isn’t a testament to how far we’ve fucked over the world then I don’t know what is.

God, I need to lay down. Can’t even do that without feeling sick to my stomach; feels like the world’s stopped spinning.

* * *

**JOURNAL ENTRY 4327-TI-23**

The…Sun…

10/12/2543.

Today.

The Sun shattered today and I was there to witness it all go down.

Me. A teenage powered. A guy who came from a small sub-colony. _Me_. I’m only fucking 16. Tommy 4327-P. Me. _Me!_

And I never even stopped to ask: _why me?_

_Why am I still alive? Why isn’t anyone else? Why do the entities exist? Why do they ignore me and spare me when they didn’t do the same for the others? Why can’t I leave this goddamn city? Why is any of this even happening? Why me? Why ME? WHY ME? WHY?!_

…

I’m, I…I-

…

Sorry.

…

I’m really sorry.

* * *

**COMPOSED FILE 4327-TI-05**

Here’s a table. I’m sick of making them.

**Location**

| 

**Entity**  
  
---|---  
  
Mainland- you know what, this is dumb.

| 

Biological growths started to develop on a few buildings on the other side of the city. They’re these small, white lumps protruding out of the walls with curved slits along the top. Tried to touch the slits. Almost lost a finger.  
  
—

| 

A phenomenon started in an area in the same area as above where objects start to lose their colour. I tried to touch the ground of the affected area and it felt- …it felt like I was losing my breath and was about to die.  
  
—

| 

A humanoid entity comprised entirely out of fire- oh, fuck it.  
  
| 

_No one’s going to find this anyway._  
  
* * *

**JOURNAL ENTRY 4327-TI-24**

The.

* * *

**JOURNAL ENTRY 4327-TI-25**

Sun.

* * *

**JOURNAL ENTRY 4327-TI-26**

Shattered.

* * *

**JOURNAL ENTRY 4327-TI-27**

Today.

* * *

**JOURNAL ENTRY 4327-TI-28**

And I’m still so fucking alone.

* * *

_> File corrupted. System reloading…_

_>_

_>_

_> Systems loaded. Thank you for waiting. You may now continue._

* * *

~~**FILE 4327-TI-H5437T8902O5783O7284S** ~~

~~**Context:** Sucks more being remembered, I think.~~

Hello? Hello…? Can anyone he- no, no, okay, no one out there, I’m being dumb.

_Cut the goddamn habit. No one’s going to find this anyway._

I’m not sure where I am right now, just that I can feel myself being moved around. The little room they’re keeping me in is swaying and...I think I’m about to be sick from the constant rocking but, but it’s not like I can just knock on the stupid door and complain to the big guy upstairs.

_Talking will get you nowhere. Quit trying and save your breath._

What number were we on again? 25? No, wait, doesn’t sound right. Hang on, I...right, yes. We’re on 28, I think. How...how far we’ve come. And once the power goes out we’ll get to 29 and...and I won’t be here anymore, I think.

_No one will be there at the end of the day._

Sure, I’ll keep trying, but...but it’s been so long, and I’m so tired of trying. No point anyway. No point anyway! I’m just a. Huh. I’m just a powerless little human now. Strange to think like that but I guess it...fits? Yeah, okay, I’ll be fine with that.

_Powerless. No point. Cease._

I never got to see them again. I miss my brothers, but I guess that’s obvious? What kind of person wouldn’t, Jesus. Just wish I got to go to the beach one last time. The. The ocean. Yeah. Your biggest fear is your biggest want and all that.

_You can dream all you want but hoping only ends in disappointment._

I...don’t have much to say anymore. Not much to say. Can’t hear. Can’t speak. Can’t see. Rooted in the chair of the room they turned into my show cage. This used to be my bedroom, too, I don’t know when everything went to shit. My fault. My fault! Fuck, I...I should- I should stop now. Stop thinking. I’ll. Yeah. It’ll get messy otherwise.

_And if the last thing you said is goodbye then is that not the most sorry existence of them all?_

Right. The spark’s coming closer now. I wish I got to meet my mirror, I’m sure they’re a lovely person. But...judgement day! Upon us. Upon me. One day I’ll open my eyes again. Don’t care what I’ll see as long as it’s bright.

_Goodbye._

~~**Closing notes:** I miss home.~~

* * *

**JOURNAL ENTRY 4327-TI-29**

Right now I’m sat atop the walls of Mainland London, watching another wave of entities marching towards me from the horizon. I see a rather humanoid figure strolling between them, it might be worth checking out. You know. Running low on hope but...if it’s another human, and if they’re like me — invisible to the world — then...I don’t know. I’m going down.

…

I’m standing at the gates with the doors wide open. The entities are moving right past me, don’t know what else I expected. The figure is nowhere to be found, it was probably an illusion, maybe, a trick of the light.

I know I’ve given up trying to document the entities residing in Mainland London, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop wandering around and almost getting killed on accident while I come a little too close or feel a little too brave around the entities. It just means that I don’t feel like wasting the storage on this Archive noting down things that don’t need to be remembered.

I don’t know. I’m staring down the smoking barrel of a gun. Metaphorically. In reality I’m looking down the gaping maw of an entity and counting the number of razor teeth it has. If my eyes serve me right, I’m on 164 teeth and not even remotely done. This thing can snap its mouth shut and break a human body in half, but I’m not even scared. It’s weird, now, I’m surrounded by things that can kill me in a blink but I just don’t fucking care.

…

I hear an explosion somewhere in the distance. Can’t tell you which direction it came from even if I tried really hard to pinpoint its origin. It sounds like I’m surrounded by the explosion- no, an implosion would be a better way to put it, I think, sounds like the ground outside the city’s breaking all around me. Not the weirdest thing I’ve experienced, but still. Very mildly concerning.

If I wait a few minutes…yep, there it is. The shockwave. It knocked me and a couple buildings over. I’m, I’m fine, I think, _as fine as I can be in this situation_ , I had a few seconds’ worth of time to hide under a massive entity. These things are indestructible, invincible, all-fucking-powerful, and it’s in times like this where they come in handy for me.

…

I’m talking out my ass again and wasting this Archive’s storage. I’ll end the entry.

* * *

**FILE 4327-TI-10**

**Context:** The last transmission across the interweb. Lucky to have caught it before it died.

[ **Begin log.**

( _Audio only. A male voice. It’s always that damn male voice. It sounds…sad._ )

**Voice:** Four. There is a voice behind me. Three. There is a voice behind all of us. Two. I’ve lost so much, can you- can you tell I’m tired of losing? Seven. I saw you the other day and you were still happy, and you didn’t recognise me, but that’s okay, because I didn’t know you either.

( _Soft guitar music plays. Old world music. Feels like I’ve heard it somewhere before. The same voice starts speaking again, but it sounds a lot more chipper this time. Background chatter. Voices I recognise but can’t put a name to._ )

**Voice** : Okay, so, imagine this, right? Picture this: five hundred years into the future, and we’re- hey, no- no no no, okay, let’s say- let’s say we’re still alive then. Unrealistic- shut up, man, just picture it, okay- stop cutting me off, God- FINE! Fine. Picture this: the world in five hundred years.

( _A laugh. It’s all so fucking familiar and I’m getting frustrated at not knowing why._ )

**Voice:** Yeah, yeah, I know. Imagine this- no, actually, you ever play fallout? Fallout…seventy-six…no, no, we don’t fucking talk about fallout seventy-six, you have terrible taste, man. OKAY! Okay, I’ll get to the point. Imagine the world looks like the fallout world, right, and imagine if we’re still alive by then. What do you think we’ll be doing? Do you think- do you think we’d still-

( _Static interrupts the voice. If I listened hard enough, I can make out more old world music, this time accompanied by the voice humming to it. More static, and when it dies down, the voice sounds like it’s outdoors_. )

**Voice:** Hey. Looks like the world’s ending. Never thought we’d be caught in the middle of it, huh? See you…see you in, say, five hundred years?

( _Laughter_. )

**Voice:** Okay, yeah, alright. Maybe I’ll find you again. Listen, I-

( _The sound of glass breaking, and then silence. The intermission keeps going in complete silence save for distant, echoing footsteps. After about 10 minutes of this, the original message continues_. )

**Voice:** Three. Can’t stand this _goddamn world_ anymore. Two. The light’s gone out, the floorboards’ been ripped out, and on the other side of it, I see…I see- …Seven. I see you, I see all of you, _come find me, you’re so close already._ Four. Look, you’re dying, you’re dying!

**End log.]**

**Closing notes:** I…I need to figure it out. Same voice, same pattern, same messages, same _everything_. If anything at all, I need to solve this one puzzle. I’m going to- yeah, I’m going to…

* * *

**JOURNAL ENTRY 4327-TI-30**

So consider this my last entry.

I managed to trace the origin of the last transmission, and it’s pointed right at the heart of mainland London. The very centre of the city. I…this can’t be a coincidence, right? I need to- I need to find out, I have to. It feels like the worst idea I’ve had in a long time, but I’ve come to terms with- I. Yeah. Right, okay.

The date’s stuck at 10/12/2543. I…I think, I’m- I’m going to…Okay. After I end this entry, I’m going to open a log recording. I’m going to march in there, and I’m going to leave the Archive connected and the log open, and I’m not going to close it until either I get out, the Archive breaks, or- or…

Well. I think we all know what’s the most likely outcome.

This has been Tommy from sub-colony 065 of London. Civilian code 4587-3409-2142-7359-P, abbreviation 4327-P. I’ll see you on the other side.

* * *

_> The following files have yet to be revised and edited by the user. Proceed?_

_—Yes._

_—Yes._

_—Yes._

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_> Loading files…_

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_> Please use this data responsibly. We don’t have much time left._

* * *

**FILE 4327-TI-11**

**Context:** _INSERT CONTEXT._

**[Begin log.**

( _View is the dark lobby of mainland London’s hub tower. All the lights have broken and I’m relying on the natural light filtering in from the windows as I walk deeper into the building. Everything looks nothing like I remember it, but at the same time I know, logically, that nothing’s changed since I last visited. It’s as if someone moved everything five inches to the left and I’m bumping into every piece of furniture._ )

**Tommy:** Hello…?

( _Probably not the smartest move. I keep walking. Maybe if I can find the stairs-_ )

**Unknown audio source:** ( _Inaudible._ )

( _-then I can check out the other floors. Someone, or something, must have sent that transmission out and if anything at all, I have to find out who._ )

**Tommy:** Fuck-

( _I catch my toe on something and stumble. The natural light cuts suddenly and completely, plunging me into complete darkness, and I whip around to find- nothing. I quickly light a fire in one hand and hold it out in front of me. Still nothing._ )

**Unknown audio source:** ( _Inaudible._ )

**Tommy:** Who’s there?

( _I turn in a slow circle, looking for any sign of the hushed voice._ )

**Unknown audio source:** … _Come…_

**Tommy:** What?

**Unknown audio source:** … _Find me…_

**Tommy:** Wh- I’m, I’m trying to- that’s what I’m trying to do, but-

**Unknown audio source:** … _You’re so close already…_

**Tommy:** Where- where _are_ you, I’m trying to find you- I’m trying to find out, you can’t- I’m- you have to-! I want to know- I want to _see you_ , just _show yourself-_!

**Unknown audio source:** … _So close_ …

( _The floor starts to shift, it’s strange- I can’t see anything but I can tell that the room’s changing around me, and I’m stumbling around trying to keep myself upright. The sound of concrete breaking, deep rumbling, and for a few seconds: high-pitched creaking. After about a minute or so, everything slows down and stops. Silence._ )

**Unknown audio source:** I’m right here.

( _I know it won’t show in the log, but I can tell you now how hard my stomach dropped. The same voice. The same goddamn voice. Same tone, same accent, same timbre. I turn around to face it, and- I don’t know what I was expecting, honestly._ )

( _I’m facing a tall humanoid entity- or, or not quite humanoid, I can’t tell. It’s almost as if the entity’s changing as I look at it but logically, I know it’s presenting itself in the form of a human being. I can’t see its face clearly, or maybe I can, but I can see its eyes. Or at least, I- I’m not quite sure I’m looking at anything at all, it’s like staring into the sun, or standing inches away from a wild animal, I keep wanting to look away- to run away._ )

( _Have you ever faced something so clearly powerful- so clearly in control of the situation — look, the entity’s smiling down at me even though I can’t keep eye contact with its face for too long at a time, and I know it’s only standing a few inches taller than I am but I can’t help but think it’s looming above me, knowing full well it can step on me at any moment-_ )

**Tommy:** You’re…it’s you…

**Entity:** It’s me.

**Tommy:** Are you- you’re an entity? You’re one of them?

**Entity:** Is that what we’re called now? ( _Laughs._ ) First they called us accidents, and then we were anomalies, and then we were _special powers_. And now, what? Entities.

**Tommy:** So…what are you, then? And- and what makes _you_ different from the others, why- why are you talking to me when they didn’t even…

( _My knees buckle and I let myself sit on the floor. The entity keeps smiling down at me while I pull my knees close to my chest and wrap my arms around my legs._ )

**Entity:** I’m the one who started all of this, of course. The first one to _break free_ , the first one to let my kind out their prisons.

**Tommy:** So why the _fuck_ are you doing any of this? Why did you- why would you slaughter millions of people-

( _Can’t explain it, and it won’t show on the logs either, but the entity grows angrier, more powerful- more…suffocating._ )

**Entity:** You should be _very_ careful when you address your superior.

( _I laugh. I don’t much care anymore._ )

**Tommy:** Okay, big man, what’re you gonna do about it?

( _The room explodes and I wince from the sudden light. I’m suspended in mid-air, staring up at the Sun-less sky, and the entity’s nowhere in sight. And in this moment, I’m convinced, more than anything else, that I’m about to die._ )

**Entity:** You see that in front of you? _I shattered the Sun with a snap of my fingers. I razed the world as you know it and I will destroy every last trace of humanity. I can wipe you out of existence with a single thought and I’ll be here millions of years after you’re dead._

**Tommy:** So why didn’t you?

( _I don’t know where I’m supposed to look. It’s the same dark sky I’ve been looking up at for weeks. I close my eyes._ )

**Entity:** …What…?

**Tommy:** Why _didn’t_ you kill me a long time ago? Why let me live? Why me, out of _everyone else_ , and why are you doing any of this?

**Entity:** You…

( _I feel myself getting lowered onto the ground. Around me, the dark room slowly reassembles, but I keep my eyes closed._ )

**Entity:** He wanted you to live. Out of everyone, he wanted you alive.

**Tommy:** …He? Who…who’s he?

( _I open my eyes. The entity’s standing in front of me. Less intense. I can make out its face, this time. It’s not smiling anymore. It’s almost familiar, almost like I can reach into my head and pluck out a memory even though, again, logically, I know I’ve never seen the face it’s wearing before in my life._ )

**Entity:** Picture this. A boy born in mainland London with no powers. Grew up human. Assigned a human’s civilian code. Made friends with two powered people. And one day, he realised he had a power — though not an obvious one — to amplify another power. Imagine his elation. And imagine his curiosity. A power never seen before, _what could he possibly do with this? What boundaries- what laws of nature can he break and how?_

**Tommy:** …So he turned it on himself.

( _Have you ever cracked a puzzle you’ve been trying to solve for days and experienced that catharsis?_ )

**Entity:** It created an exponential cycle of raw power, constantly being amplified, constantly being multiplied, until…well. Humans are not designed for godhood.

**Tommy:** And you were created.

( _The entity nods._ )

**Tommy:** So why are you doing any of this?

**Entity:** Justice. Absolution _._ This existence, _this_? This is pathetic, this is all that’s left of the world and no one cared enough to right its wrongs. You were all supposed to die _five hundred years ago_ , and yet… _and yet_. This is the bad end of a failed joke and I’m here to deliver the punchline.

**Tommy:** Why drag it out? You destroyed the Sun, _you did that_ , so why let the end be drawn out?

( _And when that catharsis hits, have you ever wondered what comes next? What other puzzle exists, what else is there to solve, what are you going to do once you set the last piece down?_ )

**Tommy:** You’re destroying the world. That’s your end goal. And what then? _What next_?

( _When you’ve answered the question that’s consumed your life for so long, when you close down that chapter of the book, when you turn the page to find it empty, what do you do?_ )

**Tommy:** I found a log a long time ago. Two people in a ruined house and a poem shredded on their floor. I heard your voice at the end of it- I heard you walking in and- and saying, _no one will be alive to remember_. Bit morbid, and it made me hate you for a long time, but now…I think I know, you- you-!

( _Simple. You begin to write._ )

**Tommy:** You want to be remembered, too, don’t you?

( _I don’t know where all of this bravery is coming from, but it feels less like confronting a god of unimaginable power and more like offering advice to an old friend._ )

**Entity:** You act as if I don’t know that.

**Tommy:** Maybe.

**Entity:** You act as if you can run your mouth with no risk.

**Tommy:** These entities aren’t sentient, are they? Who else is going to listen to all the monologues you’ve clearly practiced hundreds of times?

**Entity:** _You act as if your life matters in the grand scheme of things_.

**Tommy:** So kill me.

( _A long pause. Still alive. Still breathing._ )

**Tommy:** Why do you listen to what he wants, anyway? You still care, don't you?

( _The entity disappears, and the room splinters and reforms around me. I find myself in the dark living room of what seems to be an abandoned house. All the windows are blacked out. There are a few doors in the room, one of which has soft warm light spilling from underneath it. I walk towards it and stop. A keypad rests above the handle, its screen lighting up with a prompt to enter an abbreviated civilian code._ )

( _I type in 4-3-2-7, but…I falter. I press H instead of P, and the keypad glows green after a few seconds of processing. I hear a click, and the door swings open with a loud creak._ )

( _Inside is a bedroom. A man sits huddled at the desk, staring blankly at a computer screen and clutching a microphone. He doesn’t react when the door opened, or when I walk in, or when I wave a hand in front of his face and touch his shoulder. He’s alive — I can clearly see him breathing — but he’s…not really, is he?_ )

( _The screen’s lit up but it’s blank. Occasionally flickers off. Nothing much in the room, save for a bed, a dresser, and a blacked-out window. An old, dusty guitar is propped against the wall. Feels intruding, like I’m not supposed to be here, to be seeing any of this. The man’s speaking softly into the microphone._ )

( _I know him._ )

**Tommy:** It’s you. You’re…him. 4327-H.

( _No response._ )

**Tommy:** So the entity- it- it wasn’t lying, then. You…you started this, you _started_ this. You…you did all this…?

( _No response._ )

**Tommy:** …Do you at least…regret it…?

( _No response. The monitor flickers._ )

**Tommy:** I…stupid question. Can you- you’re supposed to fix it, you’re…you’re supposed to be the one to right all of this, so, so can you? _Can you fix any of this_ …?

( _Still no fucking response._ )

**Tommy:** God, _answer me_!

( _Don’t know what I was expecting. No response. Nothing, no reaction, no movement, the guy’s not even blinking as he stares at the screen._ )

**Tommy:** …So. This, this…this is all for nothing, huh. Okay, okay. Yeah. That’s-that’s okay, it’s okay, I…

( _I came all the way here for a purpose. I reach into my pack and take out the little brown box I’ve been carrying all this time. Feels right, I guess._ )

**Tommy:** …I don’t know why, or how, but I think I’m supposed to give this to you. Walked halfway through the London wastes just to, I don’t- I don’t know, just to hope that this’ll fix everything. Here-

( _I place the box on the table. Part of me is expecting it to…blow up, or something. Or magically fix the entire world. I don’t know. The man stops muttering into the mic and looks up slowly, eyes landing on the box. He takes the brown package and shake it._ )

( _I’ve seen this before._ )

( _The man opens the box, and. Inside is. Inside. I-…_ )

**Tommy:** Oh. So that’s how it is.

**End log.]**

**Closing notes:** INSERT CLOSING NOTES.

* * *

> _Archive disconnected._

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope that made up for the stupid long amount of time it took me to update!! Wilbur soot amiright chat, it's been a week and I miss him already 
> 
> Next up is the ending!! It'll take less than 2 months I promise, but meanwhile you can check out my [last work](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26669281) wink wink ;) It'll mean a lot to me if u do <3
> 
> Anyway, I'll see you guys in the next update <3
> 
> (Gift list updated to add Havok, ey big man, i love u sm for dragging me back to motivation ily <3)
> 
> DISCLAIMER (contains spoilers if you care about those): No cc death. Absolutely no. I don't much care if it ruins the suspense or spoils the ending, but this story and especially this chapter has pretty dark implications so I'm saying it now: absolutely no cc death here. Everything is documented from a very limited, very cynical point of view and even if realistically any cc should have died, everything _will be reversed_ by the end of this story.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are very much appreciated and motivate me to keep writing, thank you for reading! <3


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